A clear and clean appearance is very important to an ornamental body of water such as pools, lakes, streams and ponds. In the lake and pond management field, algae, weeds and water clarity have always been a major problem affecting the looking of an ornamental body of water. In order to deal with the problem of algae and weeds contamination, various algaecides and aquatic herbicides have been developed which can effectively control the growth of algae and weeds. Those agents function differently. For example, some of them work through obstruction of the algae cell membrane, blocking further nutrient digestion and causing the algae to starve and die. Some of them contain special UV protectants which block sun rays that algae and weeds need for growth, thus slow or prevent the growth of algae and weeds. As of late, algae and weeds have been controllable with the use of special products.
But water clarity has been an unsolved problem. The clarity problem of water is caused mainly by two sources. One of them is chemical and microbiological contaminations which gives the water unpleasant color, odor, and unclear looking. This source of unclarity is readily dealt with by proper control of water chemistry such as pH level and oxidant concentration. The normally used oxidants for this disinfection purpose include chlorine, bromine and ozone. The other source causing water clarity problem is a physical one, i.e. small particulate matter which scatters lights and generates an unclear looking. So far no effective means is available to control the small particles in a body of water. This particulate matter may consist of either organic matter such as dead algae, weeds, bacteria, or inorganic matter such as clay, sand and silt. Unlike large particles, in many situations the organic and inorganic matter in a body of water is too light and has a too small dimension to settle to the bottom in a reasonable time. Different procedures have been tried to address this problem including the use of mechanical devices, natural flora and chemical treatment. All of which were either ineffective, short lived or inconsistent. For example, circulating devices such as fountains, aerators, bubblers and waterfalls have been used to clean water. As useful tools, these devices have been successfully used to prevent stagnation and play a significant role in keeping a body of water healthy. However, circulation only covers one facet of the total spectrum in water quality management and does not remove suspended particulate matter. Certain types of natural flora (aquatic plants) have been used to clean water by acting as a canopy to prevent sunlight and to absorb nutrients that algae need to survive. The problem is, however, that approximately two thirds of the water surface must be covered to be effective. Furthermore, during peak season certain species of plants grow rapidly (as much as one foot per day) and can overrun a system creating adverse effects and pollution. Besides, in some states certain plants are illegal. As to chemical treatment, flocculants such as aluminum sulfate have been used to clear water, but they are either inconsistent and ineffective or leave behind unwanted materials. For example, aluminum sulfate (Alum) may only drop certain particles depending upon particle size, charge and density. Furthermore, if the water is stirred up, previously treated particles will not re-settle thus necessitating further treatment.
Therefore, there is need for an efficient and simple method to clean a body of ornamental water.